EARLY music expert Peter Holman's first outing with the Royal Northern College of Music's baroque orchestra was an exploration of Purcell, a three-dimensional composer of the most rewarding kind.

The strings took time to warm up in the anthem Rejoice in the Lord Alway but the trio of young soloists blended well.

Conductor Holman came more into his own with his spirited direction of a suite of incidental music from Abdelazar but it was Flora McIntosh who won the biggest hand of the night, her mezzo-soprano voice proving a fine vehicle for the drama of The Blessed Virgin's Expostulation.